April 9, 1929 - Feb. 10, 1993
Overview:
Fred Hollows was a believed greatly in equality of people. He resented the inequalities that resulted from circumstances such as poverty and worked throughout his life to try and overcome this problem. Fred died from cancer at the age of 63. Before he died, he worked at establishing the foundation that now continues his work. When this was formed, he chose its slogan: "leave the world a better place." Fred certainly did. We hope you do as well!
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Fred Hollows
His work with the poorest of the poor in countries around the world has restored sight for thousands.
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Country:
Australia (though born in New Zealand)
Type
of hero: Environmental, Cultural and Development Rights
Attributes:
Humanitarian, Altruism
Biography:
Born in New Zealand, Fred was the product of a tolerant Christian Socialist family. His initial attempts to find a career for himself didn’t work out entirely well. While he had planned on becoming a missionary, he soon realised it was not the job for him.
He entered medical school and finally decided to become an ‘eye doctor’, a trade he described as ‘good work’. He had also had stints as an alpine guide, an orderly in a psychiatric hospital, a bulldozer driver, and had done manual work in the back blocks of Queensland
In 1960, he began work as the head of the Eye Department at a Sydney hospital. Fred had a philosophy that "The rich should not live longer simply because they are rich and can afford treatment, and the poor should not die prematurely simply because they are poor”. When he noticed that there was a large incidence of trachoma amongst the aboriginal population, he began to work at developing treatment programs for this.
He recruited a team of doctors and other volunteers and set out across the outback. As a result of his work in the 1970s, the rate of curable blindness among Aboriginal people was cut in half.
Fred never believed in just sitting around, talking about a problem. "When I've seen an opportunity I haven't sat down and called a committee meeting. We've gone and done it.''
During a period when he was working as a consultant to the World Health Organisation, he saw the extent of blindness in Eritrea, one of the poorest countries in the world. He set out to raise money, then headed off to establish a lens factory and also to train local doctors. The program has since been established in other countries including Vietnam, Nepal and China.
Fred’s legacy lives on in the people who have had their sight restored, as well as in the facilities he has created in the poorest of countries. He worked tirelessly right to the time of his death, which came far too soon. He was the ultimate humanitarian. A man, who one person said, was no saint as he swore too much! A man who did so much for so many around the world. The lessons he has taught us will help make a difference in the lives of many more.
Citations
& References:
Links:
http://www.abc.net.au/btn/australians/hollows.htm
http://www.hollows.com.au/
http://www.achievers-odds.com.au/main1.htm
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